Better
by jayyaye21
Summary: Post 507/509. Gail's trying. She really is, and the only person she wants to know that is Holly.
1. Chapter 1

Gail walked the halls of the precinct looking slightly less gloomy than she had the previous days.

Holly.

Holly was the reason for this newfound contentedness. Although she was far from satisfied when it came to where her and the pathologist currently stood, Gail was happy. Happy that the lines of communication had been opened again. Happy that Holly hadn't written her off completely. Happy that she did not, in fact, lose the most wonderful person she's ever met. She was starting to feel whole again.

Gail smiled to herself as she rounded the corner to the break room, nothing standing between her and thirty minutes of freedom. Nothing except an ill placed call, or apparently Traci. Broken out of her moment of bliss by the sudden impact of running into the other woman, Gail was not very happy. She was about to tell the detective as much until her eyes fell upon the clear plastic bag, containing what seems to be a can of pop, with the word "EVIDENCE" written across its label in clear, bold letters.

"Gail, hey. So sorry about that," Traci said while gathering her bearings.

"No-" Gail started, swallowing as her eyes stay trained on the bag. "-no worries. Is that for the lab?" She asked, trying to play it cool.

"Yeah, actually it is," Traci was trying to keep her smirk hidden through her coy response.

"Oh."

"Yup. Your brother and I played the old 'get the suspect to hold and drink from something, wait for it to become trash, then recover it for prints and DNA' trick," Traci explained looking very proud of herself.

"Oldest one in the book. Pretty sure Steven and I learned that one in utero," the blond joked.

"Strangely, I can actually see that being true," both women laughed. "Anyway, have you seen Epstein? Wanted to run this down to the morgue asap."

"Uhh, Epstein's around. Haven't seen him. Nope. But hey, I'm on lunch right now so why don't I run that over for you. I wouldn't mind, I swear."

Expressionless Gail came out to play, but Traci saw right through it and decided to mess with the over eager officer in front of her.

"I don't know Gail, I really shouldn't be cutting into your departmental allotted thirty. I'd hate to be the reason the poor, poor people of Toronto have to endure 'Grumpy Gail' for the rest of the afternoon. We all know how you get when you aren't fed."

Gail scowled. "What am I, an animal?" She asked with a hint of annoyance. "Come on Trace, it's really no big. By the time you track down Epstein, who's probably well on his way to gross dork sex with Queen Dork, you may have to spring the perp loose. Save time. Send me."

"You know Peck, I find it peculiar that not even two weeks ago, you were pretty damn against delivering that thumb..."

"That was then, this is now," Gail said while she snatched the bag from Traci and headed off in the direction of the cruisers. "Thanks Nash!" She called out over her shoulder. "I appreciate it."

She'd have to miss lunch today, but she was going to get her fill. She missed Holly. The two had messaged each other occasionally ever since the thumb incident, but it wasn't enough. Gail wanted her girl back and in order to accomplish that, she'd actually have to see said girl. She figured this was the perfect opportunity.

After jumping into the rmp she was assigned this morning, another brilliant idea sprung into her mind.

"Peck you are on a roll today," she muttered to herself.

Pulling into the parking lot of the bistro a few blocks from the morgue, she quickly ran in. She couldn't have Traci questioning the arrival time of the evidence. Thankfully, the Universe decided to cooperate and the lines were pretty short as not even 10 minutes later, she was on out the restaurant doors and on her way to see Holly, satisfied grin in place.

Though as soon as she entered the elevator leading down to the morgue, Gail felt her nerves begin to kick in. A ding indicated that she had reached her destination, the basement, and it was suddenly too late to worry about being nervous. The doors opened and she began the oh so familiar walk to Holly's lab where she found said person looking over some paperwork.

"Uh, hey," she stuttered, causing the room's only other live occupant to look up.

"Hey," Holly responded. She smiled, eyes focusing on the two bags Gail held. "What are those?"

"Well, I've got two treats for you!" She began explaining. "One you might prefer more than the other," she added mischievously. She had a pretty good guess as to which Holly might prefer.

"Hmm…" Holly faux wondered and began making her way to the blond, causing Gail's eyes to widened the closer she got. She reached out to pick a bag but before she could even get her hands past her sides, Gail held out the evidence bag, smirk on her face. Raising an eyebrow, Holly reluctantly took the bag from her knowing that she was reaching for that one anyway.

"Some things never change, nerd," Gail joked before suddenly turning serious. "And some things do. For the better," she finished.

She had a pensive look on her face. It was obvious to Holly that there was a hidden message in there. She'd seen the changes already taking place with Gail. Their conversations since the "break up", though limited, made her privy to that. She was proud. These weren't just changes in general, either. Holly liked Gail for who she is. If you'd asked her, she would absolutely be against Gail Peck changing just for her. Maybe "change" was the wrong word to be using. She loved her snark. She loved her no bullshit personality. She loved that underneath all of that, she got to see a caring, loving person whose loyalty to her friends was something to be admired. So no, in her eyes, Gail didn't need to suddenly become an entirely different person. She wouldn't be her Gail if she did that. All Holly wanted was for Gail to realize that she was worth it. That she had to believe that fact in order to fully love someone else. There's the saying "you can't love another until you truly love yourself". That's all she wanted from Gail - for her to see herself as wonderful, too.

"Maybe," was the passive reply Holly offered. "So what's in the other bag?" She asked as she logged information on the reception of the can and got to work on gathering the evidence.

Gail loved watching her work. She could stand there for hours, much like the day they first met, and not be bored. She swore there was more learning taking place in the few hours she spent here than most of her high school years. She may have been a slacker, but she's positive it had something to do with the teachers because learning from Holly was one of her favorite things.

"Gail?" Holly asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Um, here," was the only response given as she walked over to Holly's desk and handed it to her. "Thought you might be hungry."

"Gail, you didn't have to-" she cut off as she took in the bag's contents. "You remembered?"

"Of course I did," Gail said sheepishly.

She'd gotten Holly's favorite bacon and cheese soup. It was the last thing Gail had expected from someone she knew as a healthy eater, but it was a fact she welcomed with open arms. That, she could get down with. She watched on as Holly kept emptying the bag, pulling out Gail's sandwich. Ducking her head, she replied, "Oh, that one's mine. It's my lunch break now and I was just going to head back to the-"

"-why don't you join me for lunch?"

Gail takes a tentative look back up at Holly, her emotions threatening to make themselves known upon her face.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," Holly said smiling. "If you've got the time, I mean."

"Yeah - yeah," Gail shrugs. "I've got about twenty minutes. Plus seeing as I'm already out here, probably more if a call doesn't come in."

"Great," Holly smiled, extending her hand with the sandwich out to Gail.

In that moment, seeing Holly smile at her like that, Gail decided that she was on a mission. She fully intended to finish what Holly had started - she was going to continue to be a better person. Her goal was to prove to Holly that people can change. Not to simply please others, but for the better. It's entirely possible. It just takes the right person to kind of pave the way. Someone who was also worth doing it for. Yes, she was doing it for Holly, but most importantly, she was doing it for herself. She wanted to be a better person. Someone she felt was worthy of Holly's goodness.

The following day, after sitting in the squad with Nick and realizing how much she wanted to do with Holly, she vowed to get back to that place. She'd show Holly that she could be good, too. In the end, moving day sucked significantly less than she thought it would. Plus, she'd helped somebody! She was so proud of herself. Was that narcissistic? That, Gail wasn't sure of. It was a good feeling though and she could definitely get used to it. As she sank down into the couch in her apartment, she couldn't help but wonder if Holly would've been proud too. An curious look overtook her face as she twirled her phone in her hand. Before she lost her nerve, she unlocked it and and went to her messages. Clicking on the message thread between her and Holly, she stared at the last text she sent to Holly. It was a simple 'yes' - yes, she did mean it when she said she called her the most wonderful person. Of course she had. She started typing before she could even think .

_I helped someone move today. Willingly. You make me better Hols. Even when I'm not with you._

_Gail, I know you. You're not as cold as you're made out to be. I see it first hand, but I'm glad you're finally seeing it as well._

Gail sat still, staring at her phone. It was so like Holly to turn the tables like that, to believe in her even when she didn't believe in herself.

_You always know what to say Lunchbox. I always liked that about you._

_Among other things._

_That I still obviously like about you._

"Shit," Gail thought. "Why the fuck am I so awkward?"

_I know Gail._

_That's actually something I've always loved about you, too._

_Among other things._

_That I still obviously love about you._

Gail sat there in silence, goofy grin on her face. She had no idea how to respond to that without losing her cool. A few minutes later her phone buzzed again.

_Goodnight, Gail._

This time she made sure she'd get her response in to those familiar two words.

_Night, Hols. x_

_Hey Gail?_

_Yeah?_

_I'm proud of you. Keep it up. I mean, who knows? With one selfless act like that a day, you're well on your way to becoming Toronto's most upstanding citizen!_

_Ugh. Shut up Lunchbox._

**A/N:** Hey! So, this is my first foray into writing for these two. I'm thinking for now, this might just be a one shot (or maybe a 2/3 shot?) because to be honest, I'm terrible at writing like that. I couldn't promise regular updates and then not follow through. I am thinking though that maybe a few one shots stemming from Gail just randomly texting Holly her 'good deed' of the day, and that becoming a thing between the two would be good enough. Gail was way too happy and proud of herself for helping someone this past episode for me to over look that.

Let me know what you think of this first bit and the possibility of more!

Also, I apologize for any and all mistakes.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 1

_I've been meeting up with this little girl, Sophie, whose mom died a few weeks ago as the result of a stray bullet from that gang murder in the apartment complex. She's incredible Hols. She's lost everything she knew and yet finds it in her to be open and loving and she smiles at me and I seriously lose it. She fills me with so much joy and I can tell that I'm doing the same for her. We found each other at a time when we were both a little lost. That's what my thing was tonight. I had to go see her. We hung out at the park and then went for some burgers and milkshakes and when we were back at the home, she didn't want me to leave. I almost cried. _

_Anyway, this isn't like my other "good deeds" that I've vowed to tell you about everyday. I don't visit just to say I've done it. I visit because I cant imagine going a week without seeing her. I really wanted to share this with you. I hope that tomorrow I can share some more. We're still on for tomorrow, right? _

Gail stared at her phone, thumbs hovering over the screen. She had hit the send button on that second text about five minutes ago and was now waiting for the bubble with three dots indicating Holly was replying. Thank God for iPhones. She was a nervous wreck Her hands were trembling, lip bruised from the tight grip her teeth had on it - she was freaking out. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath only to open them and see that Holly was finally typing a response. This resulted in Gail, in quite a comical fashion, yelping and chucking her phone across her bed. A few minutes later her phone dinged causing her to cautiously make her way over to it.

_This actually brought such a big smile to my face. I'm honored you're sharing this with me. It means so much that you've opened up to me. Sophie sounds wonderful and of course I would love to hear more about her. She means something to you Gail and so she means something to me, too…I hope I can say that. I know we're not back together and we've got things to talk about, but I care about you. Besides, I've always known you were a big softie so this comes as no surprise to me. None of your "good deeds" do…_

_Yes we're on for tomorrow. I can't wait. I've seriously missed you and we have a lot of catching up to do. And get your mind out of the gutter miss! I definitely mean talking, we've got some talking to do. About us. About Sophie.._

Gail couldn't help the smile that took over her face. Holly just had a way of relinquishing all her fears and making her happy, and that seemed to be a recurring theme for Gail as of late. She knew there was still that huge hurdle to overcome, but she felt good. She was finally understanding that the key to being happy is to simply let yourself. So she was letting herself do this thing with Sophie and she hoped that Holly would support her decision.

_Awesome. I can't wait til tomorrow either. As much as I'd like to continue this back and forth paragraphing texting thing we've got going on (seriously, thank goodness for iMessage..only it could handle you and all your words!), I'm about to wipeout. I've got the early morning shift tomorrow so I'm available late afternoon/evening. Let me know when to come over?_

_Oh hush you! I happen to know you're quite fond of my words. How does 7 sound? _

_Yeah yeah. 7 works for me. See you then. Night x_

_Bonne nuit!_

"Nerd," Gail thought to herself, smiling as she set her alarm and plugged in her phone for the night. She got wrapped up in her sheets and quickly dozed off.

The next day brought excitement, fear and, unfortunately, a 14 hour shift. Gail was supposed to be off at 5 but ended up with a collar that cost her a few hours processing and doing paperwork. She called Holly frantically at 5:30 when she got back to the station explaining to her the situation and that chances were she wouldn't be able to make it. Holly, however, was quick to compromise saying that if Gail brought the dessert, she could come by whenever. They agreed that 9 would be the approximate time, but Gail was encouraged to come earlier if she could.

8:45 saw Gail standing at Holly's door, nervously tugging at her fingers as she paced back and forth.

"Damn it Gail. Get it together!" She chastised herself. "Fuck!" She had no idea how she was going to drop this bomb on Holly. She figured opening up the conversation for it last night was good thinking on her part. That eased her mind a little, but she still had no idea how well Holly was going to take the news.

"Now or never," she muttered before ringing the doorbell.

It was a few seconds later when the door swung open revealing a causally dressed Holly, apron still tied around her waist and hair pulled back into a pony. Gail's eyes nervously took in her appearance from head to toe and Holly let her. She had some looking of her own to do as well; it had been such a long time since either woman had a good look at the other. Gail was the first to break the trance once her eyes had reached back up to Holly's, and upon realizing the other woman was also taking her in, she shyly tucked her hair behind her ear.

Clearing her throat, Holly offered a timid "Hey".

"Hi," the blond said as she waved her still-by-her-side hand.

"Hey," Holly replied before pausing and tilting her head to the side. "Yeah, I know, I've said that already."

Gail laughed a genuine laugh, her thoughts brought back to that day at the station. "You did."

"I did. Here," she said stepping to the side and pulling the door back with her. "Come in."

"Thanks."

Gail let out a huge breath as she crossed the threshold into Holly's home. She knew what she had to do. In fact, it was the first and probably hardest thing on her list. All the succeeding topics sort of depended on it. There would be no home cooked dinner if they couldn't get past this, no fancy expensive wine Holly had promised, no nanaimo bars that Gail had picked up from Holly's favorite bakery. Nothing. This conversation had the ability to make or break their night. She was terrified of finding out which it would be. She simply watched as the door was closed behind her and then followed Holly to the living room where both women sat opposite but facing each other. Gail had her head down staring at her hands that were linked together in her lap, and Holly was staring at her, trying to get a read on the situation. Sensing that there were some nerves holding off their inevitable impending talk, Holly jumped up to pour the wine. She handed Gail a glass once she was done. It was gratefully received, as evidenced by the giant gulp taken upon reception, but there was still heavy tension. A few moments passed as Holly, once again, studied Gail while Gail studied her wine. Sighing, she decided to break the silence with a topic she assumed had heavy bearings on their night. She could tell something was up with the way the little girl was spoken of.

"So, tell me about this Sophie…"

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed this one. If you did, drop me a line and let me know! =P I also have not really decided which way to go with Holly's reception of Gail's news so let me know if there's any preference on that as well. Part two of this will hopefully be up soon.

Have a good one x


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